Subterranean well degreaser



March 8, 1955 e. TRU BY SUBTERRANEAN WELL DEGREASER Filed May 22, 1950 IN VEN TOR.

660/76 7iz/y.

United States PatentO l SUBTERRANEAN WELL DEGREASER George Truby, New Castle, Pa., assignor of fifty per cent to Paul J. Wald, Youngstown, Ohio Application May 22, 1950, Serial No. 163,494

3 Claims. (Cl. 166-60) This invention relates to a subterranean well degreaser.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a subterranean well deg'reaser and more particularly a device for degreasing the subterranean areas of an oil Well by applying a vaporized solvent to the indicated subterranean area. 7

A further ob ect of the invention is the provision of a subterranean well degreaser incorporating means for uniformly feeding and vaporizing a solvent.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a subterranean well degreaser incorporating means for sealing the well with respect to the device to confine the degreasing action to' a desired area.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a subterranean well degreaser incorporating a conden'sing chamber to eliminate the loss of vaporized solvent from the well.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a subterranean well degreaser incorporating a liquid level indicatingv means to enable the device to be operatively positioned above a liquid level of a subterranean area of an oil well.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a subterranean well degreaser incorporating means for generating soundwaves of an ultrasonic frequency.

It is known in the art that the yield of oil wells diminishes as the oil pool is exhausted, the rock pressure lowered and as wax-like and asphalt-like accumulations form in the area of the oil producing sands. The present invention relates to a degreasing device particularly adapted for effecting the removal of such wax-like and asphalt-like deposits to the end that the production of the oil well so treated may be increased by permitting the freer flow from the oil bearing sands.

It has heretofore been proposed to heat the oil in a well to loosen such wax-like and asphalt-like accumulations as may be present. The difficulty in such proposed degreasing methods lies primarily in the mechanical inability to heat the oil and sand structure in the well sufliciently. Many chemical treatments have also been proposed for this purpose which are generally objectionable in that they contaminate the oil in the well and frequently attack the metal parts of the oil well casing and the like.

The present invention utilizes a dual action in attacking and dissolving the asphalt or wax-like accumulations in the oil well as it provides for the introduction of a controlled vaporized solvent in the desired area of the well and the simultaneous or independent application of sound waves of an ultrasonic frequency. The vaporization of the solvent is accomplished by the device and the solvent combines with the wax-like or asphaltlike accumulations, dissolves the same and enables the residue to be pumped from the well in the usual manner. The application of ultrasonic sound frequencies to the indicated area of an oil well results in a similar degreasing action as it is believed that the molecular pattern of the Wax-like and asphalt-like accumulation are altered somewhat to the end that a change in the composition of these materials takes place rendering the same fluid and enabling them to be pumped from the well in the usual manner.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the 2,703,620 Patented Mar. 8, 1955 precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of an oil well with v parts broken away and illustrating the positioning of the degreasing device in the same.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the device with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the degreasing device illustrating the construction thereof.

Referring to the drawings and Figure l in particular it will be seen that an oil well has been symbolically illustrated and includes a casing 10 and an enlarged chamber 11 in the oil bearing strata formed as by shootiiig the well as is common practice. The degreasing device is shown in position in the well and supported therein by means of a cable 12. The degreasing. device comprises a cylindrical body member 13 having an annular groove 14 thereabout in which a resilient gasket 15 is positioned. The upper end of the cylindrical body member 13 is threaded to receive a secondary cylindrical body member 16 which includes a bottom portion 17.

A bail 19 is formed integrally with a threaded ring 20 which is engaged upon the upper end of the cylindrical member 16. A top portion 18 is positioned on the threaded ring 20 beneath the bail 19 to form a closure for the secondary cylindrical body member 16. A cable 12 is adapted to be attached to the bail 19 so that the device may be supported thereby. The bottom portion 17 of the cylindrical body member 16 has a removable secondary closure 21 therein providing access to the interior of the cylindrical body member 13. The lower portion of the cylindrical body 13 threadably receives a third cylindrical body member 22 and the third cylindrical body member 22 has a top portion 23 therein which is provided with a pair of threaded orifices 24 and 25. A passageway between the cylindrical body members 13 and 22 is formed by a tube 26 which is engaged in the threaded orifice 24 and depends into the third cylindricalbody member 22 and is provided at its lowermost end with a float operated valve 26A, the float for operating the same being indicated by the numeral 27 and attached to the valve 26A by a movable arm 28, the valve 26A being closed when the float 27 is in its uppermost position and opened when the float 27 is lowered to its lower position.

The closure 18 on the upper end of the secondary cylindrical body member 16 has an opening 29 therein, the bottom 17 of the secondary cylindrical body member 16 has an opening 30 therein and a tubular conduit 31 extends vertically through the openings 25, 30 and 29 and is sealed with respect to the opening 25. An extension of the conduit 31 extends downwardly through the third cylindrical body member 22 and is secured to an upstanding boss 32 formed on a closure 33 forming the bottom of the third cylindrical body member 22.

The conduit 31 forms a communication channel for a cable carrying a plurality of electrical conductors, the cable being indicated by the numeral 34, and which cable extends upwardly alongside the supporting cable 12 heretofore referred to. The conductors in the cable 34 are provided for several purposes; one of these is for the energization of a heating coil 35 located in the bottom of the third cylindrical body member 22 so that solvent introduced into the same through the valve 26A may be boiled and vaporized.

Another pair of wires in the cable 34 are connected with switch terminals 36 which are adapted to be bridged by a switch member carried on the upper end of a rod 37, the lower end of which extends outwardly of the device and includes a secondary float 38. The switch terminals 36 are enclosed in a half-spherical body member 39 afiixed to the lower portion of the third cylindrical body member 22 and the half-spherical body member 39 encloses a high frequency sound generator 40. The generator 40 includes a vibrating bar 41 which extends outwardly of the body member 39 and is disposed therebeneath. A pair of wires in the cable 34 degreasing are preferably connected with the generator 40 so that the same may be actuated for the indicated purpose.

The device will thus be seen to comprise an elongated cylindrical shape having four separate and distinct compartments therein, the uppermost one of these compartments being in the hollow cylindrical body member 16 and is adapted to be filled with solidified carbon dioxide (Dry Ice) so that the exterior of the upper portion of the device acts as a fluid condenser for any vapor which passes above the gasket 15 or at such time as the device is lowered further into the well being degreased. Openings 43 in the cylindrical body member 13 and above the resilient gasket 15 drain condensate into the cylindrical body member 13.

The middle portion of the device, the cylindrical body member 13, comprises a reservoir for a liquid solvent which may be introduced thereinto by the removal of the closures 18 and 21. The interior of the third cylindrical body member 22 acts as a vaporizing chamber as a relatively small amount of the solvent is maintained therein by the fluid operated valve 26A and vaporized therein by the heating coil 35.

Oriflces 42 are provided about the upper portion of the third cylindrical body member 22 so that the vaporized solvent can flow out of the device and into the area 11 in the oil well. The chamber formed in the body member 39 on the bottom of the device encloses the ultrasonic sound wave generator 40 and the electrical connection means 36 and 37 comprising the fluidlevel indicator means of the device. It will thus be seen that when the terminals 36 are connected through a pair of wires in the cable 34 with a suitable electrical circuit and an indicator, the circuit will remain closed when the device is immersed or partially immersed in the liquid in an oil well. When the device is above the liquid, circuit through the terminals 36 about the corresponding cable 34 will be broken thereby indicating that the device is in operating position. When a circuit is established through the wires in the cable 34 with the heating element 35 and a suitable power source, the same will act to vaporize solvent in the third cylindrical body member 22 as maintained therein by the action of the float operated valve 26A, the solvent being supplied from the chamber 13 as heretofore described.

It will be observed that the diameter of the cylindrical body members 13, 16 and Z2 is less than the inner diameter of the oil well casing and that the resilient gasket increases the effective diameter of the device to a size greater than the inner diameter of the casing 10 so that the device is eflectively sealed with respect to the lower portion of the well. When operated in such position, the vaporized solvent attacks the waxlike and asphalt-like deposits in the well as the case may be and dissolves the same, which action is expedited by the high frequency sound generator 40.

It will thus be seen that the several objects of the invention are met by the subterranean well degreaser disclosed herein incorporating novel means for locating itself with respect to the desired area of the well, sealing itself with respect to the desired area of the well and operating in the desired area to remove the wax-like or asphalt-like accumulations retarding the flow of oil into the well.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A subterranean well degreaser comprising a device adapted to be lowered into a subterranean well, said device including a compartmented body, one of said compartments comprising a reservoir containing a liquid solvent and another of said compartments having heating means therein and comprising a vaporizing chamber, fluid conducting means between the two compartments and a float operated valve on said fluid conducting means in said vaporizing chamber, said valve being closed when said float is in its uppermost position and being opened when said float is lowered to its lower position, apertures in the side Walls of said vaporizing chamber above the fluid level at which said valve closes and communicating with the exterior of the device.

2. The subterranean well degreaser set forth in claim 1 and wherein the heating means comprises a heating coil.

3. The subterranean well degreaser set forth in claim 1 and wherein a cable including electrical conductors extends into said device and wherein the said conductors are connected with said heating coil for energizing the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 884,675 Monroe et al Apr. 14, 1908 1,672,200 Buck June 5, 1928 1,829,666 Minster Oct. 27, 1931 2,139,810 Duncan Dec. 13, 1938 2,437,456 Bodine Mar. 9, 1948 2,519,116 Crake Aug. 15, 1950 

